Battle Ground
by Ronnie
Summary: I'm sorry James, Lily.


_Can't say anything about it..._

_We have to go into hiding... _

_He's after us..._

_Not safe..._

_Baby Harry..._

_Need to protect him..._

_Talked to the Headmaster..._

_Asked us to... _

_Need to decide..._

_You..._

_We choose you..._

_Trust you..._

_Our best friend..._

_Know you'll keep us safe..._

_Don't worry, we'll be fine..._

_I love you enough to know I'm safe with my life in your hands..._

_We trust you..._

_Our Secretkeeper..._

_Peter..._

_He's safe... _

_No one will suspect him..._

_Better off this way..._

_Trust your decision..._

_Goodbye..._

Sirius Black wiped at his eyes as he stared at the piles of rocks that once were his best friend's house. The smoke that hung over the ruins was starting to clear, revealing the plain that surrounded the house. Here and there he could see pieces of furniture that he could recognize but other then that everything was either broken or burnt. The once beautiful and brightly lit house was no a pile or rocks. More tears stood in his brown eyes as he looked around and up at the Dark Mark that hung above. Sorrow swept through his body, sorrow greater than anything he had ever felt in his life. Sorrow and sadness and then... anger. Anger and a need to revenge. A passion that threatened to eat through his body. A passion to make the ones who did this suffer. Cause them pain. He stepped forward, his foot colliding with a large portion of stone wall that was once of the walls of the house. His heart tugged. Suddenly, he saw a form of a human being among the ruins. A human being. A man. A man with raven black hair and round glasses. A tall, thin man with a tiny white scar on the right side of his forehead where he was hit by a bludger. A man clutching a wand. His heart skipped a beat. 

Tears streamed down his cheeks but he didn't wipe them away. He was numb as he rushed to the side of his best friend and crouched next to him. Brown eyes stared at him blankly from behind those round glasses. Pain surged through his body, pain in his chest. His hand touched the man's face softly, pushing away strands of ink black hair and taking off the man's glasses, holding them tightly in his hand. He looked down at his friend's eyes for a moment and then closed them with the tips of his fingers, watching as his tears fell down onto the man's face. If it wasn't for the determined, set expression on the man's face, one could think that he was sleeping. But no. He wasn't sleeping. He was dead. Sirius winced and forced himself to keep his gaze on his friend's face, willing his eyes not to waver. He had to see this. He had to see this to believe that his friend, his brother, was really gone. The man's face lacked the horrified expression that was on the face of the people who were killed with the killing curse. Of course they did, thought Sirius sadly as he let his fingers linger on his friend's cold cheek. James wouldn't die in fear. James would die bravely, fighting for the lives of the ones he loved. Oh James... he sniffled quietly as he stared at the face of the man who helped him through all his troubles. The man who made him want to live again, who made him see that his life were not worthless, that he was not worthless. Prongs. Oh Prongs... Goodbye, big brother. Goodbye, friend.

Rising to his feet, Sirius looked around him, trying to spot the other body he knew he would find. And sure enough, he spotted the form of another human being. A woman. A woman he knew and loved like a sister. A woman who insisted on treating him like her baby brother, making sure he ate enough and making sure his health was good. A woman who was the love of his best friend's life and the woman who treated him with such love and such compassion. A woman who made his friend's life worth living again. A woman whose laugh could make one's heart skip a beat. Too soon... it was too soon... he couldn't face her now... but he had to. He had to. He stepped towards her. She was lying several feet away from James. She lay facing upwards. Her red hair was lying all around her face in a whirlwind of fire, locks of it covering her face. He crouched next to her and pushed those strands out of her face and tucked them behind her ear. Her eyes stared up at him. Dark green, beautiful jade eyes. Fear was on her face. Fear and worry. He closed her eyes, not being able to take that look in them. He then kissed the tip of his index finger and held it to her forehead. Goodbye, little sister. Goodbye, friend. 

He once again rose to his feet and looked around. One more body. One more person. Probably the hardest one to face. Probably the saddest, most painful once to face. He wished he didn't have to do this. He wished none of the had ever happened... he wished... God, he didn't know what he wished. He stepped over a large pile of rocks and began looking around with sharp eyes. Please, he pleaded silently, let me not find him. He walked towards the place that once held the baby's room, looking around. But no body was seen. He searched and searched but he couldn't see a body. Hope. Maybe...

A baby's cry tore through the night and Sirius gave out a cry of joy and relief. Oh Harry. He rushed towards the direction the cry came from and found himself looking at Harry's crib. He quickly walked towards it, stepping over rocks and pieces of furniture and then looked down into the crib. Big green eyes stared up at him, wide and fearful. Giving the baby a once over he made sure everything was OK. The baby was OK. Harry was OK. His brown eyes landed on a scar on the baby's forehead. A red light bolt shaped scar. Oh Lord... he... Harry.. he... How could it be? He lifted the crying baby into his arms and rocked him gently until his cries subsided. Only then did he look around him. The once happy and bright house looked like a battle ground. He took a sharp breath.

_I'm sorry James, Lily. _

_I failed you. _

_Please forgive me. _


End file.
